The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1887-08-17

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and the wrecked cars were lying around II
THE FIERCELY BURNING
embers. Everywhere in the wreck were
wounded and unhurt men, women and
children whose lives could be saved il
they could be gotten out, but whose death
in most horrible form was most certain
if the twisted wood Of the broken cars
caught fire, and to fight the fire there was
| NOT DROP OF WATER
and only some fifty able bodied men who
had still presence Of mind and nerve to
meet the emergency. The only light was
the light of the burning bridge and with
SO much of it's aid the fifty men went to
work to subdue the flames. For four
hours they
FOUGHT LIKE FIENDS
and for four hours the victory hung in the
balance. Earth was the only weapon
with which the fire could be fought, SO an
attempt was made to put it out. There
was no pick or shovel to dig it up, 50 des-
perately they dug their fingers into the
earth which a long drouth had baked as
hard as stone and heaped the precious
handfuls, thus hardly won, upon the fierce
flames, and with this earth, dug handful
by handful, they
KEPT BACK THE FIRE.
and while this was going on other brave
men crept underneath the wrecked cars,
beneath the fire, and beat down the wood
en- bars which held prisoner SO many prec-
ious lives With pieces Of boards, some
times their hands, they beat back the
flames when they flashed along the side Of
some unfortunate who was pinned down
by beam, and it looked as though his
death by fire was certain. While the
fight was thus going on the ears Of the
workers were filed with the groans Of dy
ing men; the anguished entreaties Of those
whose death seemed certain unless the
terrible blaze could be extinguished; the
cries of those too badly hurt to care in
what manner the end were brought about,
so only that it should be quick. So they dug
up the earth with their hands, reckless of
the blood streaming out from broken fin
ger nails and heaping it up in little
while all the time came the
heartrending cries, ''for Gods sake don't
let us burn to death!' but finally
THE VICTORY WAS WON;
the flames put out after four hours of en-
deavoring, and as it's last spark died away
a light came up in the east and dawn
came upon scene of horror. While the
fight had been going on, men had been dy-
ing and there were not SO many wounded
to take out of the wreck as there had
been four hours before, but in the mean
time the country had been aroused, help
had come from Chatsworth, Forest and
Piper City. AS the dead were
LAID ALONG SIDE OF EACH OTHER
out in the corn fields there were ready
hands to take them into Chatsworth
while some of the wounded we're carried
to Piper City. One hundred and eighteen
was the awful pile Of dead while the
wounded numbers four times that num-
Der. The full number Of dead cannot be
told for days
WHAT PRESIDENT LEONARD SAYS.
CHATswoRTH, Ill, August 12.-President |
Leonard, Superintendent Armstrong, and
other officials we're seen this morning.
They have given devoted attention to the
relief of the injured and care of the dead.
Both show signs of the terrible shock |
which the accident mas been to them. |
President Leonard said, so far as the rail
'oad officials could estimate, there were
about eighty killed and one hundred Sc
'iously wounded. There are many who
we're slightly injured Of whom no record
las been obtained. President Leonard
laid as near as could be ascertained, the
rain was making about thirty miles an
lour at the time of the accident, not an
Excessive rate of speed, as the track was
n good condition. The bridge, an ordi-
lary Is foot wooden structure, was all
light at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, when
he train passed over it, and half an hour
ater the section men inspected it and it
1as then all right.
BEFORE THE CoRoNER's JURY.
At the morning session Of the coroners
ary, some decidedly significant testimony
ras given. Timothy Coughlin, section